Founded in 1984 and hailed as one of the pioneering power metal bands from Germany, the Hamburg-based quintet HELLOWEEN is celebrating their 30th Anniversary in 2014 and have announced their return to Nuclear Blast’s worldwide artist family.

“As a label, Nuclear Blast is ‘Heavy Metal to the bone,’” shares HELLOWEEN vocalist Andi Deris, “and we are really looking forward to working together with a lot of familiar faces.”

Nuclear Blast’s founder & label owner Markus Staiger is overwhelmed at bringing the band back into the fold. “We are more than proud that HELLOWEEN is part of the Nuclear Blast family again,” he states. “All those years we had a friendship-like connection and our ways crossed on a regular basis at concerts and festivals. HELLOWEEN to us is a matter of the heart. There’s not only the two records we released [The Dark Ridein 2000 and Rabbit Don’t Come Easyin 2003], but they’re an act that has influenced me and many of our employees. Together there are big plans and we are looking forward to having another productive and successful cooperation.”

Following HELLOWEEN’s appearances on the European summer festival circuit, the band will enter Mi Sueño Studio on the island of Tenerife off the coast of Morocco with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, HAMMERFALL, PRIMAL FEAR) to record a new studio album for an early 2015 release.

Last month, Nuclear Blast released special edition re-issues of The Dark Ride and Rabbit Don’t Come Easy, featuring 3 bonus tracks on each album, which can be ordered from the Nuclear Blast USA Webshop.

Straight Out Of Hell, HELLOWEEN’s latest studio album released in early 2013, debuted on the German album chart at #4 – the band’s highest chart entry in their home country to date – and held this position for five weeks. The album had five other “Top Ten” album entries in Europe and also cracked the American Billboard Top 100 chart with an entry at #97.